Chapter 3 — The Eye in the Sky

"Hero..."

The voice echoed only to itself.

"Demon King..."

"While these humanoids were speaking, they repeated those words numerous times, expressing considerable importance, respect, concern, and fear."

The enormous eye remained fixed upon the city.

"Curious concepts. These humanoid lifeforms repeat them frequently. They appear to hold great significance to them. But what exactly do they mean?"

Meanwhile...

On the opposite side of the continent.

Far beyond the borders of the human kingdoms.

Far beyond the fortresses of the Church.

Within a distant land, inside another enormous castle.

The massive doors of a royal palace burst open.

"Your Majesty!"

The voice echoed throughout the grand hall.

The messenger rushed across the long crimson carpet.

"Your Majesty! The army sent to the border has been destroyed!"

The nobles exchanged glances.

"It was probably the Hero again."

"He's tracking our movements."

"Every time we attempt to advance, he appears."

"What should we do?"

The messenger dropped to his knees.

"Wouldn't it be better to attack now?"

"Before he becomes even stronger?"

Silence filled the hall.

Standing along both sides of the enormous carpet were the most important figures of the Demon Kingdom.

All of them shared one common characteristic.

Horns.

Some large.

Some small.

Some straight.

Others curved.

But all bore the traits of their race.

At the end of the hall...

Seated upon a massive black throne...

Was the Demon King.

His eyes remained closed for several seconds.

Then he smiled.

A small smile.

But a genuine one.

"So the time has finally come."

Everyone raised their heads.

"The new Hero is progressing faster than I expected."

The Demon King rose from his throne.

His cape slid down the steps behind him.

"Very well."

"I will kill him myself."

The entire hall fell silent.

Even among his closest subordinates, the declaration caused shock.

"Your Majesty..."

The Demon King raised a hand.

"There is no reason to wait."

His gaze became cold.

"The previous Demon King succeeded in killing the Hero of his era."

Everyone listened attentively.

"But he made a mistake."

The Demon King began walking slowly.

"He waited."

"Waited for the Hero to come to him."

"Waited for the war to run its course."

"Waited for the inevitable confrontation."

His eyes swept across the hall.

"And when they finally fought..."

His voice grew heavier.

"Both of them died."

"The Hero had become strong enough to challenge the previous Demon King."

Several nobles lowered their heads.

"The Hero died in that battle."

"But so did the Demon King."

Silence returned.

"I will not repeat that mistake."

Stopping before a massive map of the continent, he pointed toward the border.

"We will lure him out."

"We will send a small force."

"Something that appears to be nothing more than another ordinary incursion."

"Something impossible for him to ignore."

Then his finger moved toward a distant region.

"Meanwhile..."

"Our main army will remain hidden here."

"Far enough away that they won't detect our movements."

The generals began to understand.

"When the Hero advances..."

"I will be waiting."

Another smile appeared.

"And this time..."

"The war will end."

No one dared question him.

Because everyone in that room knew.

If there was anyone capable of facing the Hero directly...

It was the Demon King himself.

"Gather everyone."

His voice echoed throughout the hall.

"We leave today."

"Now."

At that very moment.

Thousands of kilometers away.

At the top of the great cathedral near the border.

The Hero gazed down upon the city below.

The streets were crowded.

Hundreds of people waved at him.

Celebrated.

Shouted his name.

Children ran through the streets.

Merchants smiled.

Soldiers relaxed for the first time in weeks.

The Hero let out a long sigh.

"How much longer is this going to continue...?"

The members of the Church standing nearby exchanged glances.

"What do you mean?"

"We need to advance."

His eyes turned toward the horizon.

Toward demon territory.

"The Demon King could launch a large-scale attack at any moment."

"If that happens here..."

He looked down at the crowded streets.

The families.

The children.

The elderly.

"A lot of people will die."

The religious leader slowly nodded.

"I agree."

"That is why we have decided to assist you."

The Hero looked at him.

"Assist me?"

"The strongest adventurers in the region have already been summoned."

"We have also gathered supplies from neighboring cities."

"We intend to organize an expedition larger than any ever assembled before."

"And we intend to do so immediately."

The Hero remained silent.

"Less than one week."

The leader continued.

"We do not believe the Demon King expects a large-scale offensive so soon after your return."

"This is our best opportunity."

The Hero closed his eyes briefly.

Then nodded.

"I understand."

"Thank you."

The leader smiled.

"There is no need to thank us."

"We are not doing this solely for your sake."

His gaze swept across the city.

"We are doing this for everyone."

"For the border."

"For the kingdom."

"And for every race living on this continent."

The Hero listened in silence.

"If the Demon King breaks through our defenses and advances deeper into the continent, humans will not be the only ones to suffer."

"Beastfolk."

"Winged races."

"Dwarves."

"Elves."

"And every other race living under the protection of the kingdoms of this continent will be dragged into this war."

His expression darkened.

"And if he conquers this continent..."

"The other continents will eventually be threatened as well."

"Cities will fall."

"Kingdoms will vanish."

"Entire peoples may be exterminated."

"Race will not matter."

"Origin will not matter."

"If we fail here, everyone will suffer the consequences."

The Hero looked at the crowd once more.

Then stepped onto the balcony.

The moment he appeared, the city erupted into applause.

Cheers.

Celebration.

Hope.

The Hero raised a hand.

The crowd fell silent.

"It isn't over yet."

His voice echoed throughout the square.

"But it will be."

The applause returned even louder.

"We are going to end this war once and for all."

The entire plaza erupted with excitement.

Meanwhile...

On the other side of the continent.

The Demon King stood before tens of thousands of soldiers gathered within the courtyard of his castle.

All awaiting his orders.

All awaiting the beginning of the march.

The Demon King raised his arm.

"We depart immediately."

His gaze turned toward the horizon.

Toward human territory.

"This time..."

"We will end everything."

And far above them.

Far beyond the clouds.

Far beyond the stars.

The enormous eye continued watching.

Observing both sides as they prepared for the same battle.

Unaware that they were being watched by something far older...

And far more dangerous than any Demon King or Hero they had ever faced.

As the Hero finished his speech...

The Demon King was finishing his own.

Night had already fallen across the world.

The skies were clear.

Thousands of stars shone above the continents.

The Hero gazed toward the horizon.

"Within a week, this will be over."

That was the deadline he had chosen.

Within one week, he would set foot in demon territory.

Within one week, he would stand upon the battlefield that would determine the fate of the continent.

On the opposite side of the known world...

The Demon King believed the exact opposite.

He would depart that very night.

He would give the Hero no time to act.

No time to prepare.

This time, he would win.

Both were convinced of it as they stared into the star-filled sky.

Then...

Something changed.

The Hero noticed it first.

A star.

A single star.

Blinking.

He frowned.

Perhaps he had imagined it.

Perhaps he had simply lost focus.

But then another star blinked.

And another.

And another.

The Demon King also looked upward.

Around him, his generals did the same.

The stars were blinking.

Disappearing.

Reappearing.

Disappearing.

Reappearing.

As if something were blocking their light.

Or as if they were vanishing.

One after another.

More and more.

Until dozens flickered.

Then hundreds.

Then thousands.

The conversations ceased.

The celebrations faded.

Fear began to spread.

"What's happening?"

"Is this magic?"

"Some astronomical phenomenon?"

"The Hero's doing?"

"No..."

"That can't be..."

More stars vanished.

More.

More.

More.

Until...

All of them disappeared.

The world was swallowed by darkness.

A darkness so deep that many felt their hearts freeze.

The sky was empty.

No stars.

No constellations.

No moon.

Nothing.

Only a black void.

Silence.

Then something appeared.

A distortion.

At first, it was small.

Almost imperceptible.

A slight deformation in the darkness itself.

But it grew.

Expanded.

Spread wider.

Like a crack opening across the sky.

The Hero instinctively tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword.

The Demon King took a step forward.

Everyone watched.

No one spoke.

The distortion continued growing.

Until it took on a familiar shape.

An impossible shape.

A shape that should not exist.

An eyelid.

Closed.

Gigantic.

So enormous that it occupied a significant portion of the heavens.

Then it began to open.

Slowly.

Very slowly.

As if something were awakening.

As if something were looking into the world.

Or out of it.

The silence became absolute.

Even the wind seemed to stop.

The eyelid opened completely.

And revealed an eye.

A single eye.

Colossal.

Ancient.

Impossible.

Nine eyelash-like extensions extended around it.

They did not resemble flesh.

They did not resemble matter.

They did not appear to belong to that universe.

The pupil remained motionless.

Watching.

Simply watching.

A chill ran down the Hero's spine.

Beside him, a mage dropped his staff.

A knight fell to his knees.

A priestess began praying.

"What... is that?"

No one answered.

Because no one knew.

On the opposite side of the continent.

The demon generals were equally frozen.

"Is this some kind of Church magic?"

"No."

"It can't be."

"Not even the gods could—"

The sentence died before it was finished.

The Demon King continued staring at the sky.

Without blinking.

Without looking away.

For the first time in many years...

He felt fear.

Genuine fear.

The Hero drew his sword.

Instinctively.

As though his body were acting on its own.

"Should we attack?"

One of the priests stared at him.

"Attack...?"

"How?"

The Hero remained silent.

Because at that moment he instinctively realized something he could not explain.

That thing was not within the clouds.

Not within the atmosphere.

Not even near the world.

It felt beyond the sky itself.

As though the entire firmament had become an eye.

As though the universe itself was watching.

No one knew.

But this was not happening only there.

Nor only on that continent.

Nor only within that kingdom.

Across every continent.

Every nation.

Every ocean.

Every mountain.

Every living organism on the planet was witnessing the same thing at the exact same moment.

People everywhere raised their eyes to the heavens.

And saw exactly the same sight.

But they had no way of knowing that.

Not yet.

No way of knowing that the entire world was being observed.

That everyone was witnessing the same phenomenon.

That every war.

Every conflict.

Every kingdom.

Every race.

Had just become insignificant.

Because now...

Something was looking at them.

And the worst part...

Was that the eye showed no anger.

No hatred.

No compassion.

No curiosity.

It simply watched.

The way someone watches an insect resting on a leaf.

The way someone watches an experiment that is about to begin.

Or perhaps...

About to end.